Sealing item

ABSTRACT

A wraparound sealing device for use in conjunction with a plastic bag to provide closure of the open end of said plastic bag around a cast or bandage on an injured limb to prevent its becoming wet during cleansing of adjacent skin areas.

United States Patent 1 Cook, Jr.

[ 1 Sept. 23, 1975 1 SEALING ITEM [76] lnventor: Jerome Emerson Cook, Jr., 3204 East Lake Drive, Wonder Lake, 111. 60097 [22] Filed: Nov. 30, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 420,681

[52] US. Cl. 128/82; 24/30.5 P [51} Int. Cl. A6lf 13/00 [58] Field of Search 128/82, 83, 83.5; 24/30.5 P, 17 AP, 17 B, 16 BP', 36/81; 2/240 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 153,265 7/1874 Miller 24/17 B 612,998 10/1898 Thomas 24/30.5 P

1,980,486 11/1934 King et al, 138/82 X 2,094,210 9/1937 Graben 1 24/17 B 3,001,254 9/1961 Schumm,. .1 24/30.5 P 3,329,144 7/1967 Liman 128/82 3,747,125 7/1973 Goldman ct al. 128/82 X Primary ExaminerRichard A. Gaudet Assistant ExaminerJ. Yasko Attorney, Agent, or FirmCharles J. Merriam [57] ABSTRACT A wraparound scaling device for use in conjunction with a plastic bag to provide closure of the open end of said plastic bag around a cast or bandage on an injured limb to prevent its becoming wet during cleansing of adjacent skin areas.

5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 1 on 3,906,941

US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 2 of2 20 FIG. /0

SEALING ITEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally concerns a device for preventing the flow of liquids into specified enclosed areas. More specifically. the present invention concerns a wraparound sealing device to prevent a cast or bandage from becoming wet while the patient is cleansing the adjacent skin area. Previously. when an individual had a bandaged arm or leg. difficulty in cleansing the area adjacent the bandage was encountered due to the necessity of keeping the bandaged area dry. The situation was especially aggravated when the injury required a cast. The injured person was faced with the choice of foregoing regular bathing, bathing while holding the injured limb out of the bathing area, or getting the injured member wet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A sealing device in accordance with the present invention comprises a sealing band of washable, reusable, stretchable material having non-mechanical fastening means for use in conjunction with a plastic bag to provide closure of the open end of the plastic bag to prevent the bandage or cast on an injured limb from becoming wet during the cleansing of adjacent skin areas, such as by Showering.

Use of the present invention considerably reduces the problems associated with the prior art. The present invention is utilized in conjunction with a waterproof plastic bag having an opening at one end and sealed at the other end. A plastic bag is selected which will reach at least 2 inches above the cast or bandage sought to be protected from moisture. After the top of the plastic bag has been pleated tightly around the top of the bandage or cast on the injured limb, the free or terminal end of the sealing band is positioned firmly at the top of the plastic bag. The sealing band is then stretchingly wrapped in an overlapping spiral around the limb tight enough to effect a seal between the plastic bag and the limb above the bandage or cast in order to prevent water from entering therein, but not tight enough to reduce body circulation. The spiral wrapping continues until the entire top of the plastic bag and several inches above have been covered with the spiral wrap. This coverage prevents any leakage around the top of the plastic bag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa sealing device in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 25 demonstrate the use of the sealing device sequentially showing a person with a cast on his injured foot covering his cast with a plastic bag and sealing the top of the bag with the present invention;

FIGS. 6-9 show the details of the non-mechanical fastening means of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a cross section taken along line 1010 of FIG. 5 showing a foot with a cast thereon, a plastic bag surrounding the cast and a sealing device in accordance with the present invention sealing the open end of the plastic bag in order to prevent the entry of moisture therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1 which shows a perspective view of a sealing device in accordancewith the present invention, sealing band, shown generally at 11, is made of stretchable, sheet-like material in an elongated and relatively narrow shape and has a wrapping portion 13 with a terminal end 14 and a closure end 15. Closure end 15 is tapered in shape and has at extremity 12 thereof an integral, flexible, resilient closing tab 16. Between closure end 15 and closing tab 16 is elastic band receiving aperture 17 through which an elastic band 18 is looped. Closing tab 16 and elastic band 18 comprise the non-mechanical fastening means of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 25 which show the use of the non-mechanical fastening means of the present invention, the patient having a leg 20 with a cast or bandage 19 on the foot thereof, places his injured foot with cast or bandage 19 thereon into a plastic bag 21 which is of sufficient length to reach at least 2 inches above the top end 23 of cast or bandage 19 on leg 20. Referring specifically to FIG. 3, holding terminal end 14 of sealing band 11 firmly against the top 22 of plastic bag 21 which has been pleated around top end 23 of cast or bandage 19 and the adjacent leg area, sealing band 11 is stretchingly wrapped in an overlapping spiral around open end 22 of plastic bag 21. This wrapping is done tight enough to prevent water from entering open end 22 of plastic bag 21 and wetting bandage or cast 19, but not so tight so as to reduce the circulation of blood to the leg of the user.

Referring to FIG. 4, when sealing band 11 is fully wrapped around top end 22 of plastic bag 21 and several inches thereabove, the next step in the utilization of the present invention is to secure the nonmechanical fastening means to hold sealing band 11 firmly in place until the patient has cleansed the surrounding leg area. Elastic band 18 is shown in FIG. 5 holding sealing band 11 securely in wound configuration.

Referring to FIG. 6, which shows closure end 15 of sealing band 11 with elastic band receiving aperture 17 therein and integral, flexible, resilient closing tab 16 extending from extremity 12 thereof the mechanism of attachment of elastic band 18 to sealing band 11 is illustrated. One end of elastic band 18 is secured to sealing band 11 at aperture 17. One means of attaching elastic band 18 to sealing band 11 is by looping first end 24 of elastic band 18 through aperture 17 and then through the loop formed at the second end 25 of the elastic band 18.

FIG. 7 shows elastic band 18 loopingly secured to sealing band 11 through aperture 17. When sealing band 11 is fully spirally wrapped around the leg of the user, as shown in FIG. 4, elastic band 18 is wound in the same direction as said spiral wrapping of wrapping portion 13 of sealing band 11 around the leg of the user, all of which is clearly shown in FIG. 8. After having been wound in the same direction as the spiral wrapping of said wrapping portion 13 of sealing band 11, first end 24 of elastic band 1.8 is wound over tapered end 15 of sealing band 11 and then slipped over and around closure tab 16. Closure tab 16, as shown in FIG. 9, is then made to lie flush with the surface of spirally wrapped sealing band 11 to hold said wrapping firmly in place.

Referring to FIG. 10, which shows a cross section of a leg 20 with cast or bandage l9 thereon. plastic bag 21 with open end 22 has been placed over the patients foot having cast or bandage 19 thereon. Sealing band 11 has been spirally wrapped around open end 22'of plastic bag 21 to seal firmly said open end 22 in order to prevent the entry of moisture therein. Note that the spiral wrapping continues several inches up leg 20 above open end 22 of plastic bag 21 in order to affect a waterproof seal between plastic bag 21 and leg 20. In a preferred embodiment sealing band 11 is manufactured from 1/32 inch neoprene rubber sheeting, although any w'ashable. reusable, stretchable material may be used. 'Wrapping portion 13 of sealing band 11 in a preferred embodiment is 36 inches long and 3% inches wide. Closure end 15 is.preferably tapered and 4 /2 inches long. Closing tab 16 is preferably 1% inches in length. Elastic band receiving aperture 17 is V4 inch in diameter. Elastic band 18 preferably is a No. 33 rubber band.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1.-A sealing device for use in conjunction with a plastic bag having one-open end to prevent the cast or bandage of an injured limb from becoming wet when adjacent skin areas are cleansed, said sealing device comprising:

an elongated, substantially flat sealing band, said sealing band having a terminal end and a closure end, said closure end having an integral closing tab at the extremity thereof and an elastic band receiving aperture between said closing tab and said extremity of said closure end; and

a closed elastic hand, one end of which is secured to 1 said elastic band receiving aperture,

whereby when said sealing band is wrapped around the open end of said plastic bag into which the cast or bandage of an injured limb has been placed. said elastic and has been wound around said spirally wrapped sealing band and said closure end and then slipped over and around said closing tab, and said closing tab has been made to lie flush with said spirally wrapped sealing band, moisture is prevented from entering said open end of said plastic bag to thereby protect said cast or bandage from said moisture.

2. A sealingdevice as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sealing band is elastic.

3. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said closure end is tapered.

4. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said integral closing tab is flexible and resilient] 5. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said closed elastic band has a first loop sequentially disposed first through said elastic band receiving aperture in said closure end of said sealing band, said first loop secondly disposed through the second loop of said elastic band, said second loop located on the opposite side of said sealing band, such that said elastic band may be secured on said sealing band by pulling said first loop and said sealing band in opposite directions.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 3,906,941

DATED September 23, 1975 'NVENTOR(5) Jerome Emerson Cook, Jr.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 8, "and" should be band- B Signed and Scaled this I ninth D ay of December I 9 75 [SEAL] A ttest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer Commissioner ufParents and Trademarks 

1. A sealing device for use in conjunction with a plastic bag having one open end to prevent the cast or bandage of an injured limb from becoming wet when adjacent skin areas are cleansed, said sealing device comprising: an elongated, substantially flat sealing band, said sealing band having a terminal end and a closure end, said closure end having an integral closing tab at the extremity thereof and an elastic band receiving aperture between said closing tab and said extremity of said closure end; and a closed elastic band, one end of which is secured to said elastic band receiving aperture, whereby when said sealing band is wrapped around the open end of said plastic bag into which the cast or bandage of an injured limb has been placed, said elastic band has been wound around said spirally wrapped sealing band and said closure end and then slipped over and around said closing tab, and said closing tab has been made to lie flush with said spirally wrapped sealing band, moisture is prevented from entering said open end of said plastic bag to thereby protect said cast or bandage from said moisture.
 2. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sealing band is elastic.
 3. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said closure end is tapered.
 4. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said integral closing tab is flexible and resilient.
 5. A sealing device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said closed elastic band has a first loop sequentially disposed first through said elastic band receiving aperture in said closure end of said sealing band, said first loop secondly disposed through the second loop of said elastic band, said second loop located on the opposite side of said sealing band, such that said elastic band may be secured on said sealing band by pulling said first loop and said sealing band in opposite directions. 